It is well known that any relatively large or extensive electrical system is always particularly susceptible to malfunction because of the occurrence of "shorts" or "opens" within the system, and that these shorts and the like tend to appear most often at points of connection of one component or section of the system to another. It is further well known that this phenomenon is especially likely in any system which must be installed and operated outdoors rather than in a sealed or otherwise protected environment.
This is particularly the case with seismic exploration systems and the like, which include a trunk line or main cable laid on the ground along a surveyed course, and which also includes secondary lines branching off of the trunk line at preselected locations. Such a system may extend as much as a mile or more over the ground, and is therefore installed and connected together in sections before being operated. Furthermore, such a system is ordinarily installed and used only temporarily in any particular location, before it is disassembled and moved to another location of interest.
It will readily be apparent that such a system is particularly susceptible to problems of malfunction, not only because it must be continually connected and disconnected, whenever it is moved from one location to another, but because it must often be installed and used in the most disadvantageous of environments. In particular, it is not uncommon that seismic geophysical surveys are performed in wholly or partially submerged areas such as swamps and the like, where the likelihood that water may invade and short out portions of the circuitry is ever present.
It is, of course, well within the skill and experience of this industry to seal all electrically conductive portions of the circuitry in a seismic system and the like, in a manner to reduce to a minimum the likelihood of such water penetration. It should be noted, however, that such a system would then be a single unit which would be burdensome to transport over a dry cleared terrain, and that it would be almost impossible to properly deploy such a system within a swamp or other such submerged area. Accordingly, it is a recognized necessity that such a system must be sectionalized whereby it can be disconnected into components of manageable size before it is transported and deployed in sections of reasonable size.
It will be apparent, however, that the possibility that water may penetrate and cause a malfunction in the circuitry is always greatest at those points wherein one section of the system is designed to be detachably interconnected with another section of the system. For this reason, it has heretofore been the practice to employ connectors of junction components which can be joined in a manner to substantially minimize if not prevent such water penetration. However, such connectors are relatively difficult to couple together since they utilize screw-type latches to squeeze them into engagement, and to thereby create a barrier against invading water. This, in turn, greatly extends the time required to both assemble and disassemble the system, and it may even require the use of special tools.
It will be apparent that, not only is the task of assembling a geophysical exploration network relatively difficult even when in a relatively dry and cleared area, the difficulties are compounded when the operators of the system are required to work in swamp areas and the like, where footing is always uncertain and precarious at best, and also where they are often required to perform these tasks while sitting in a boat or other unstable structure. Furthermore, if a malfunction occurs notwithstanding, and if the operators must then travel back along the entire network to laboriously uncouple and then reconnect each junction in the network, it will be readily apparent that there has long been a need for a better way of interconnecting electrical components under such conditions.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, and improved electrical connection means and techniques are provided which are especially useful for circuitry which is installed and used in partially or wholly submerged areas and other disadvantageous environments.